Not the ideal spring break

I didn't have anything in particular planned for this week. It's a good thing. Wednesday afternoon I felt a familiar twinge in the top of my head. I took Excedrin and feverfew and went to choir practice. Thursday morning I felt better and took the kids shopping. While we were out, the migraine came back. I've been medicating steadily for three days now, and it's still not gone. The meds ease the pain, but I still have the odd sensation of a void in my cranium where my brain is supposed to be. It's like the meds mask the brain itself, and that's why it doesn't hurt. The absence of pain is good, but I'd like to be able to function again, thank you very much.

Luckily, I don't get migraines like this very often. A couple a year are this severe; most of the time Excedrin and feverfew knock it out and I'm mostly functional. The only thing I try to avoid is driving, especially if I have the kids.

I'm really hoping this one ends today. Tomorrow could be a real challenge if it's not; my first church service starts at 7:30 tomorrow morning. I could get away with skipping 11:15 if necessary, but not 7:30.

A glimpse into the future

This is the most amazing thing! It's a picture of snow, dated Good Friday, April 6, 2007, that I ran across on Weather Underground.

Just one problem: Today is Maundy Thursday, April 5, 2007. I've double-checked. Twice. And it's New Hampshire--no pesky time zones to take into account.

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who gets my days mixed up!

Attitude adjustment

In her book, "Secrets to Getting More Done in Less Time," Donna Otto says, "Do you know what really makes you tired? The things you don't do, not the things you do!" She goes on to explain that while we think we don't have enough hours in the day to get everything done, the real drain on our energy is procrastination. It's no secret that I'm a procrastinator from a long and distinguished line. Even so, this was a revelation to me.

The last week or so, my attitude has been a bit of a problem. Little things have gotten under my skin, plans have fallen through, projects that should take an afternoon stretch interminably. I've become the Queen of Snarkiness, and while no one has complained about it (to my face) it hasn't made me happy.

In an attempt to mend my snarky ways, I started thinking about what I'd stopped or started doing recently to cause the problem. I came up with two things: my daily Bible reading was lacking, and my writing time was low priority. My problem wasn't the small daily irritations; it was not finishing Sword and Scabbard that was weighing me down.

I have taken steps to remedy the situations. I opened my Bible yesterday afternoon to Ecclesiates 3 and almost laughed out loud at verse 22, which starts, "So I saw that there is nothing better for men than that they should be happy in their work."

The remedy has been identified; now it's a matter of putting it into practice. It's very early in the month, but so far I'm three minutes and 2,916 words ahead of schedule. The mere fact that I'm ahead in both is a huge boost. It's just a matter of putting one word in front of the other.